Throwback Thursday: WCW/NWO Revenge

Last week, I paid tribute to the Legendary "WWF WrestleMania 2000" for Nintendo 64. Now, I will highlight the very game that pushed WWF to that next level in my view. Today, I will talk about "WCW/NWO Revenge". At the time, WCW was already miles ahead of WWF in terms of video games. While WWF was stuck in the dark ages with In Your House Shows and Arcade Games (WrestleMania: Arcade), WCW was breaking ground with wrestling games, while using 3-D graphics on N64.  (WCW/NWO World Tour) Even though WWF was winning the Monday Night Wars during the release, WCW/NWO Revenge was the wrestling game of the year in 1998. IGN gave Revenge an 8 out of 10, Gamespot gave it a 7.2 out of 10, while GamePro gave it a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Revenge was a tremendous success, as it was the best-selling wrestling video game for the N64, according to IGN in 1999. I was a kid growing up in the Attitude Era at the time, but enjoyed what WCW brought to the table. I remember times after school or on the weekends I would go to my friends house to play Revenge. It amazed me every time I played it. The grappling system was among the best, which was simple for me to grasp. The finishing moves were very on point as well, such as Kevin Nash's Jacknife Powerbomb, Goldberg's Jackhammer, Sting's Scorpion Deathlock, and Chris Jericho's Liontamer to name a few. The game was downright addictive, as we would play match after match after match without ever getting bored. The game also included arenas such as Nitro, Starrcade, Bash at the Beach, Fall Brawl, Souled Out and Halloween Havoc. Revenge also included Championship mode, where you would go through a journey to win whatever title you choose. You would also unlock the wrestler who previously held the title. For example, in order to unlock Rowdy Roddy Piper, you had to defeat him for the WCW World Heavyweight Title. (This was the closest that Piper would ever come to being a World Champion, sadly)

Titles in Championship Mode:

• WCW World Heavyweight Championship- Roddy Piper
• U.S. Heavyweight Championship- Curt Hennig
• World Television Championship- Kanyon/Mortis
• Cruiserweight Championship- Kidman
• Tag Team Championship- Meng & Barbarian

*-Champions to unlock

Even among that, the Roster itself really caught my attention. The roster was so large (63 Wrestlers), that they had to be placed in different divisions. The NWO and Raven's Flock were divided into their own roster sections. The Cruiserweights had their own roster section.

NWO White:
Hollywood Hogan
The Giant
Brian Adams
Scott Hall
Scott Norton
Buff Bagwell
Scott Steiner
Curt Hennig*

NWO Red (Wolfpac):
Kevin Nash
Sting
Konnan
Lex Luger
Randy Savage

Raven's Flock:
Raven
Sick Boy
Kidman*
Reese
Riggs
Lodi

WCW 1:
Roddy Piper*
Goldberg
Diamond Dallas Page
Bret Hart
Booker T.
Chris Benoit
Rick Steiner
Fit Finley

WCW 2:
Saturn
Disco Inferno
Jim Neidhart
British Bulldog
Glacier
Kanyon/Mortis*
Meng*
Van Hammer

WCW 3:
Yugi Nagata
Larry Zbysko
Barbarian*
La Parka
Stevie Ray

WCW 4 (Cruiserweight Division):
Chris Jericho
Eddie Guerrero
Rey Mysterio Jr.
Juventud Guerrera
Dean Malenko
Psychosis
Ultimo Dragon
Chavo Guerrero Jr.
Alex Wright

EWF:
AKI/THQ Man
Shogun
Executioner
Dr. Frank
Jekel
Maya Inca Boy

DAW:
Hawk Hana
Kim Chee
Dake Ken
Brickowski
Ming Chee
Han Zo Mon

WCW-1 was for the Top Main Event Wrestlers in the company who were not with either NWO factions or with Raven's Flock. WCW-2 was for the Midcarders. WCW-3 was for those who were not quite Jobbers, but at least third tier. Obviously, the fourth division was for the Cruiserweights (My personal favorite outside of the NWO and Main Event) This was also the first game where you could use weapons, and make your opponent bleed. I could not believe what I saw. It was incredible. Overall, WCW/NWO Revenge raised the bar for wrestling games even higher, as it was ahead of it's time in many different ways. This game is a Legend among wrestling/fighting video games.

Throwback Thursday: WrestleMania 2000

Today, I will be going in a different route in honor of "Throwback Thursday". While everyone puts "throwback" pictures on Instagram (some we don't need to see), I will go back down Memory Lane in terms of my favorite Video Games. For this installment of "Throwback Thursday", I will be spotlighting "WrestleMania 2000". During the Attitude Era, while WCW pushed the envelope on Nintendo 64 with "WCW/NWO World Tour" and "WCW/NWO Revenge", WWF raised the bar with "WrestleMania 2000". This was their first exclusive N64 game, with the same gameplay and graphics as their cross-promotion counterparts. This was also groundbreaking for the fact that, this was the very first WWF/E game under THQ. All around, this game was a major breakthrough for WWF, because it shattered the mold that they were stuck in for years with limited gigabyte games like RAW on Sega/SNES, the MK-like WrestleMania: Arcade, and of course WWF: Warzone along with WWF: Attitude. The controls were much more simple and easier to comprehend than on PS1. Gone were the days where you had to press multiple buttons at one time to do a finisher. If you didn't press them in the same sequence, you have to do it all over again. There were times where I would find myself looking back at someone's move list during the game just to remember the combination. Let me tell you, that it was frustrating. However, with WM 2000, you didn't have to use a strange combination of buttons at one time just to do a move. The grapples were much better, and during the match you could build up for the finisher. If you want to get there faster, just do more taunts. As a bonus, you could also STEAL your opponent's finisher. Competition forced WWF not only to raise their game in ratings, but also in games. What better time to innovate than during the highest point of creativity? (Attitude Era) Titantrons were also included, you could also edit wrestler attires, as well as a "Create A Wrestler" mode. This was a feature that separated them from WCW, because World Tour and Revenge did not have a feature where you could Create your very own Wrestler. You could also give your wrestler movesets and taunts, not only from WWF superstars, but stars from Revenge as well. The Royal Rumble and King of the Ring Tournament are both included as well. Another thing that set this game apart was the concept of defending titles in Exhibition Mode, something that had NEVER been done in WWF games before. In fact, wrestlers are expected to defend titles in Story Mode. The Roster was amazing as well, featuring the best of the best of that era, including their latest addition, Chris Jericho.

Overall, WrestleMania 2000 was a gamechanger (no pun intended), and a groundbreaker that was sorely needed. When they were called to change, they stepped up to the plate. This game will always be a CLASSIC, and that's the bottom line!